“Your Honor, my wife and I run two grain shops in town, and we also cultivate hundreds of acres of fertile land!” Niu Dadao said.
The group chatted for a few minutes.
Chen Yu was restless and kept urging Niu Da to go home early.
"To thank your younger brother and son for saving my son, this is your reward," Ji Ninghai ordered a servant to bring over a plate of food.
On the plate were two land deeds, a box of saltpeter, and a thousand taels of silver notes.
"No need!" Shen Yu suddenly raised her voice, startling everyone sitting down.
Niu Da looked at Chen Yu's unusual reaction with some surprise, "What's wrong with you?"
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong?" Niu Yong asked.
Chen Yu said, "It's alright. Since Lord Ji is so willing to reward us, we will accept the land deed and saltpeter. As for the one thousand taels of silver, please keep it for yourself!"
Thirteen years ago, Shen Yu and Ji Ninghai were engaged, when Shen Yu was only fourteen years old.
She didn't have any romantic feelings for her fiancé, but they were engaged after all, and Ji Ninghai was only three years older than her. He was also a well-known scholar in the area and very handsome.
Girls her age also liked to tease her, so she secretly paid attention to her fiancé and developed some feelings for him.
The marriage between Ji Ninghai and her was originally arranged by their fathers. She was just waiting for her to come of age before she married him. Although she didn't have much of an expectation for it.
But Ji Ninghai made vows of eternal love to her.
In the year of the imperial examination, he achieved the top rank and became the top scholar. His sister also entered the palace as a concubine in the same year. Not only did his family break off their engagement, but he also married the daughter of the prime minister.
Ji Ninghai's mother even turned the tables, accusing her family of trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into wealth.
If that's all there is to it, then so be it.
Who knew that a year later, when she was sixteen, Ji Ninghai's wife still hadn't gotten pregnant, so the Ji couple remembered her, their former fiancée.
She came to their house with a thousand taels of silver, arrogant and haughty, claiming that she wanted to take a concubine, and that she had already lost her virginity to Ji Ninghai on the day she came of age.
Moreover, the news spread far and wide, and people even said they would use the thousand taels of silver to buy the Shen family's daughter.
The Shen family was unable to defend themselves, and in the end, Mr. and Mrs. Shen Zishan had no choice but to ask a midwife to examine the body.
Shen Yu still remembers the words the Ji family said that almost made her father die of anger: "Shen Zishan, so what if your daughter has been examined and is a virgin? Being examined in public has ruined her reputation! What kind of good family can she find?"
"We'd rather sell her to our family as a concubine!"
Shen Zishan and Granny Zhong were so angry their faces turned green. "Even if my daughter never gets married in this lifetime, your family can forget about it! Get out!"
At that time, only Niu Da stepped forward, saying, "Who says no one wants her? I want her!" He was a day laborer for the Shen family at the time.
Although the Shen family was not well-off in the past, since the eldest sister-in-law Cai married into the family, she has earned some money by selling jacquard cloth and has been able to buy a few acres of land for the family.
So they hired two farmhands.
He knew she had been rejected by her fiancé and had her body examined in front of everyone, yet he still treated her like a treasure. All those years of poverty and hardship were worth it.
Although Old Mrs. Zhong looked down on Niu Da, she arranged for Chen Yu and Niu Da to get married within a month in order to spite the Ji family couple.
After Shen Yu became pregnant, Old Lady Zhong even sent someone to tell the Ji family elders, which made them quite angry.
But Shen Yu still harbors resentment over the humiliation she suffered and the public physical examination she was subjected to, and nearly twelve years later, she still hasn't let it go.
Ji Ninghai frowned slightly, "Sinking Fish!"
These two words startled Niu Da and Niu Er. Xiao Fubao then spoke up to ease the tension, saying:
"Uncle Prefect, it's getting late, we're going home! We won't eat!"
Ji Ninghai then noticed the sky, but actually... it wasn't late. "It'll take you at least a day to get back, you won't arrive until tomorrow. Why don't you just have dinner and stay in the west wing?" he said. "The children are about the same age as my son, they can keep each other company."
"No need, Magistrate, we've already booked rooms at Zuixianglou in the city!" Chen Yu said.
At this moment, the maids filed in carrying dishes, and Ji Ninghai seized the opportunity to say, "Just stay for a simple meal, no need to deliberately avoid me." "Perfect timing, we can also clarify what happened back then."
Niu Da understood completely, and felt a pang of sadness in his heart. However, he knew that if this matter was not resolved, Ji Ninghai would inevitably cause trouble in the future.
Mingyue, the head maid of the mansion, invited Ji Ninghai and the others to eat.
The little boy who was rescued by Niu Yong and Xiao Heng, and his older sister Ji Mingzhu were also present. Ji Mingzhu is one year younger than Niu Cuihua and is ten years old this year.
The little boy, Ji Nanfeng, is seven years old this year.
During the meal, Ji Ninghai pulled Niu Er to drink a couple more glasses of wine. Taking advantage of his drunkenness, he said, "You little rascal, I used to really admire you, you know that?"
"Back then, I loved Chen Yu so much... but that's all in the past! But why did she fall for you?"
"Shenyu, back then, how could you have fallen for him? What did I lack compared to him?"
Chen Yu said with a touch of pride:
"That's because he's better looking than you!"
Ji Ninghai and Niu Da couldn't help but laugh.
Ji Ninghai laughed and said, "I admit it! He is indeed more handsome than me. No wonder you broke off your engagement with me for him! Haha!"
Ji Ninghai's laughter carried a hint of magnanimity.
Chen Yu was somewhat puzzled and said angrily:
"Don't even think about smearing my husband and me. I didn't even know him when we broke off our engagement! Otherwise, why would your mother have come to my house in such a grand manner, wanting to take me as a concubine, and even claiming that I was... well, I was publicly humiliated and had my body examined?"
"What concubine? What physical examination?" Ji Ninghai sobered up considerably in an instant.
Shen Yu's face flushed with anger at the thought of what happened back then. She stood up and said, "Husband, let's go! We can't accept the prefect's kindness!"
"Wait a minute, explain this to me clearly. I have never sent anyone to your house to say that I would take you as a concubine, nor have I had anyone examine your body," Ji Ninghai said.
Shen Yu said, "If you don't want to admit it, fine. Just pretend those things never happened! Just pretend that I was the one who didn't want you back then, and that I wanted to break off the engagement!"
Ji Ninghai said, "Isn't that right? After I graduated from high school, I wanted to come back and marry you, but later my parents told me that you had fallen for someone else and wanted to break off the engagement."
"I didn't believe you, so I went to your house to ask you."
"You said it was you who fell for someone else and wanted to break off the engagement with me!"
Shen Yu was stunned. She had indeed said those words, but it was clearly his parents who went to the Shen family and said that the Shen family was trying to climb the social ladder and rely on the Ji family.
Unfortunately, Ji Ninghai came in and immediately questioned her about whether she had fallen for someone else. Enraged, she said that she had indeed fallen for someone else, that she didn't want him anymore, and that she wanted to break off the engagement.
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